Paper Flowers
by sammy7656
Summary: Amber, without fail, keeps getting paper flowers sent to her by a secret admirer. Who is this stranger? Why does she fear he is fake? Will she like the guy sending them to her when she finds out who he is? And will Rikki ever stop having embarrassing outbreaks that cause people to stare at them!


**Crystallised Pineapples**

I was in the library… again… sitting at a table in the far right corner, surrounded by stacks of books. From what I could see, there was no one in this section of the library. Just the way I liked it. It wasn't that I avoided people; it was just the fact that I had the hardest time keeping a conversation going, without depending on the other person. I opened up my copy of "_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them__"_, unrolled a sheet of parchment, opened an inkwell and began reading, all the while taking notes for the essay I would have to turn in three weeks from now.

I was just about to start the chapter on _Magical Beasts in Hiding_, when something slowly descended from the ceiling, and landed on top of the open pages of my book. I looked in between the towers of books around me to see if I could catch the sender, but no one was there. I looked back to my parchment clad visitor and realized it had been folded (quite expertly, might I add, even used _with_ a spell) into a lotus flower. I went to pick it up to further examine it, but the top petals opened the second I touched it. Inside the flower was a folded up note and three slices of crystallised pineapple.

I plucked the note from the flower and unfolded it to see its contents.

_She laughs like the autumn wind, Cool and calm._

_Her skin shines like the moon, Bright and pale._

_Her eyes are lakes of green, Forever keeping me from my heed__._

_Try not to kill yourself with the mountains of books around you, will ya Amber? This school wouldn't be as bright without you__._

_~ Your secret lover_

_P.S – Don't worry, the pineapples haven't been tampered with, I just thought they'd sweeten your day… I know they're your favorite. Think you can guess who I am? Here's a hint: I love crystallised pineapple too._

I wasn't sure if I should be scared, or excited. Sure, it was nice of whoever it was that sent me the lotus, but… was it all just a cruel joke? The last line of the poem sounded as if the sender was hinting that they were in one of my classes. _I need another opinion on this… _I thought as I heard the bell ring. I closed my book, and put my things back into my bag. I then folded the note carefully, and placed it back in the flower. When I tried to close it, I jumped slightly. My fingers were hovering over its petals when the flower closed itself for me.

Lunch was next, and never in my years of attending Hogwarts was I anxious to get there. Truth be told, I would have been happy to just take a sandwich with me into the library.

I wasted no time when queuing up and sat at the Ravenclaw table with Rikki and Nikki (no, they're not sisters; however, Nikki is _my_ twin). I placed the lotus in the middle of our plates silently as I sat next to Rikki, allowing them to take it in. "You didn't make that, did you?" Rikki started around a mouthful of PB & J. "You wouldn't show us it if you had… right?" She finished with a slight smirk and a hint of worriedness in her voice. "Where'd you get it…? Sorry, _when _did you get it is a better question." Nikki piped up, obviously seeing the distress on my face. "That's not even the half of it." I stated quietly. They both looked at me with dumbfounded looks.

I looked back down at the flower and touched one of the petals. Light gasps sounded from both of them as the flower opened to my touch. Nikki picked out the note and read it aloud as Rikki shoved a crystallised pineapple into her mouth. "Rikki! You don't know if it's been messed with! Just because the note says it's not-!" "Relax, will ya?!" Rikki cut her off. "It tastes fine, and I'm not humping the bench now am I?!" Obviously, a few heads turned when she said that, but we were used to her unashamed outbursts. She went to grab for another one but I slapped her hand before her fingers even touched one of the petals.

"Well, seeing how the pineapple doesn't have a love potion in it, I guess this guy's serious…" Nikki concluded as her eyes kept scanning the words for some sort of threat. I cocked my head to her in confusion. "What makes you think that?" Nikki opened her mouth to respond to me but two particular red headed Gryffindor boys interrupted her. "'Ello ladies!" They greeted in sync.

"Hello Fred."

"Hello George."

"Are those crystallised pineapples?"

"I want one-!Ow! Don't be stingy Amber!"

"Go get your own on the next Hogsmeade trip!" I snapped at Fred as he took a seat next to me, nursing the hand I had slapped. George gave me an offended look as he sat next to Nikki. "Is that any way to treat your sister's, boyfriend's brother?" He asked in a fake scolding tone as he gave Nikki a one armed hug. I smirked. "Oh, so sorry, you're right. What I should have done was this!" I replied before smacking his arm as hard as I could. "Bloody hell woman, and you're _still_ not one of Ravenclaws beaters?" Fred exclaimed, rubbing the offending arm. "The captain must be much dafter than what we thought he was." George commented with a chuckle. "So you've forgotten already? She doesn't like playing for the school team because… because… How'd you put it again Amber?" Fred asked turning to me with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not trying out for the team because I don't want to be involved in the petty Quidditch feuds that all the teams have… It's ridiculous!" I replied before popping one of the pineapples into my mouth. Fred smiled to me. It wasn't his usual smirk; it was a little softer than that… Almost like he knew something that I didn't…

"Ow! Really?! I can't have just _one_?" His smile might have distracted me for a second, but no one could miss his hand inching towards the candy in the paper flower.

**Parchment**

This was getting a little weird… It was _exactly_ one week after I had received my first lotus and after dinner, I had gone up to the room I shared with Nikki and Rikki, to find yet _another _lotus. It sat patiently on top of my pillow, waiting, it seemed, for me to open it. All three of us stared at it as if it was going to spring to life and attack us. "Go on Amber… Open it…" Rikki whispered to me. "We'll be right next to you." Nikki said as they both linked arms with me.

We all sat on my bed, still staring at the paper flower. I stretched out my hand and touched a petal. The flower opened and a tiny red rose petal floated out and hovered above the open lotus. "What's that?" Rikki whispered in awe. "It's a rose petal… Our dad sends them to our mum when he has to work late at the ministry…" Nikki answered. She sounded touched and looked at it with glazed over eyes. "What's supposed to happen?" Rikki asked, still confused by the tiny red tear drop floating in front of us, her brows furrowing as she studied it. I reached out and touched the petal. It swelled in size and bloomed right in front of us, turning into a full rose without its stem. Once it was fully bloomed, it floated to me and landed gently in my outstretched palm.

"Amber is the only one that would have been able to activate the charm." Nikki whispered softly. I looked inside the lotus and pulled out two pieces of folded up parchment. The first one had another poem and note.

_Only the eyes of my love can truly see,_

_The gift in which I have given thee._

_What lies in her is something to admire,_

_For only she can see my desire._

_I hope you can crack this one. I have to admit, I might have been a little too easy on you with it. I had a friend bring this one to you, she owed me a favor._

_~ Your secret lover_

_P.S - Here's another hint: I am the only one with a response._

"'I am the only one with a response'?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Rikki exclaimed, holding up the note. I starred at the other piece of parchment, which, I had discovered, was blank. _Only the eyes of my love can truly see… The gift in which I have given thee…_ I flipped and ran my fingers over the blank parchment as the words ran through my head. Nikki stared at the parchment in my hand, concentrated on it really, the way her brows were scrunched up. "Any ideas?" I asked, handing it to her. She flipped it in her hands a few times and brought it close to her eyes to examine it. Pursing her lips, she looked down at it with a disappointed scowl. "Let me sleep on it." She replied, handing it back to me.

**.:BREAKFAST:.**

"'_For only she can see my desire_', huh? Sounds like someone's really got the hots for ya, huh Am?" Rikki commented as she bobbed her eyebrows up and down with a grin. I rolled my eyes and took a bite from my cereal. Nikki ran to the table and slammed her hands on it hurriedly. "Down girl, down!" Rikki exclaimed, pretending to crack an invisible whip. "I think I figured it out!" Nikki said excitedly with a grin plastered to her face. "Take out the note." She continued, pointing to my bag like a mad woman. I rummaged through it and pulled out the louts. "Here, calm down. Merlin, Nicole…" I replied handing her the note.

She unfolded it carefully and pointed to the first line of the riddle. "_Only the eyes of my love can truly see_, right there he's telling you that only you can see it, so it must be something with a special ward or charm on it. Just like the lotus, only _you_ can open it." Nikki started frantically. "_The gift in which I have given thee_, he's talking about the blank parchment!" Nikki exclaimed, clearly, extremely proud of herself. I looked up at her with the same confusion written all over Rikki's face. "Alright… but the parchment, it's still…" I started, unfolding it and trailing off as I read the message on it.

_Sleep well, love?_

The message had been written in the same hand writing as the notes. "What?" Rikki craned her neck across the table to see the parchment. "What does it say Amber?" Rikki asked looking up at me with gleaming eyes. I gave a small smile. "Sleep well, love?" I answered, looking back down at the message. "Aren't you going to answer him?" Nikki asked excitedly with a smile. I grabbed a quill and inkwell out of my bag and hovered my hand over the message. I waited for the words to fade and disappear before I wrote back.

_I slept fine, thanks for asking._

Nikki searched the dining hall furiously. "What are you doing?" Rikki asked with a chuckle. "Don't you remember his hint? _I am the only one with a response_. He has to have the same kind of paper, so he must be writing on it _right now_ to be able to talk to Amber… _Keep writing to him!_" Nikki ordered as the next message appeared.

_Do I detect sarcasm?_

I could practically hear how delighted he sounded, the bastard was probably smirking to himself…

_I believe you are confusing it with irritation._

I looked back up to Nikki as the ink disappeared. She was still searching the hall like a watch dog hyped up because its owner promised them a car ride. Rikki smirked. "Hey! Cujo! You do realize how many people are trying to finish their homework before the bell rings don't you?" Rikki asked smugly as another response appeared.

_And why is my love irritated?_

It felt weird being called "love", but I got a warm, comforting feeling whenever he said it; or, rather, wrote it. It was like he was hugging me from behind and whispering his responses in my ear. "Shit." Nikki cursed under her breath. "I forgot about that… Bloody slackers…"

_Because I do not know the name of my secret lover._

I felt so weird writing what I had, but I wanted a response. What better to receive one then to tease? Oh Merlin… This "Secret Lover" of mine is surely going to be the death of me this year… I thought miserably, running a hand over my forehead.

_Well, that would be no fun, now would it?_

I smiled. He was right. I was actually enjoying myself in this wild goose chase. Sure, it would be nice to figure out who he is and be able to talk face to face and everything, but there was something I loved about not knowing who it was.

_I suppose not… Thank you for the rose by the way, it's beautiful._

"I take it you're enjoying this?" Rikki asked with a smile. "What'd we miss?" Nikki asked glancing at the parchment. I recapped our conversation while they grinned wildly. "I can't believe there are still guys that do this kind of stuff; you'd think they'd all died off after Shakespeare." Nikki commented. A response began to appear. "He answered." I announced, waiting for it to become legible.

"_I'm glad you like it; do be careful though, it may grow jealous of your beauty."_

"I'm sorry, but that's probably the corniest thing I have ever heard!" Rikki commented before we both busted out laughing. "You've got to admit though, it was really sweet." Nikki pointed out.

**Bracelet**

Another week went by, and I was in the library again. This time, I was there just for the peace and quiet. All week had been filled with homework and non-stop school work. Now was practically my only time to relax. I slumped into a chair and pulled out the slip of parchment that I had attempted to _not_ become addicted to. I didn't want to pester him too much out of fear of annoying him. But it seemed as though every time I talked with him through it, he was happy to hear from me.

I unfolded it and was surprised with a message.

_Rough week? You look tired love._

_You've no idea… happy to hear from you though._

_Maybe this'll cheer you up._

The last message confused me to no end. That is until I looked up and a paper lotus greeted me. I opened it and pulled out the note.

_In this flower you now hold,_

_Will tell you what you wish to know._

_The location of your lover has been hidden,_

_But now can be told with this ribbon._

_I'll admit, this one's a little harder than the others, but you always seem to find the right words. I enjoy our little chats together._

_~Your secret lover_

_P.S – Your bracelet has a twin._

I picked up the bracelet and tied it around my wrist. Indeed it was a ribbon, a braided one that was black and orange. Sure, this one would be hard to figure out, but he had given me more hints than usual, so I was able to work most of it out. There was a specific word, or incantation that I had to say for it to tell me where he was, that much I knew… but what was it? That was really the only hard part about this one. He was right; this one was proving to be a lot harder than the others…

I quickly thought back to the other notes he had given me to see if he had hidden the answer there. I repeated several parts of his riddles but nothing happened, hell, I got so desperate, I tried "love". I stared down at the bracelet not thinking, just admiring for a while.

Y_ou're a smart girl, you'll figure it out. I have faith in you._

I smiled down at the note, but before I could write back to him another response appeared.

_Do you like the paper flowers?_

Holy shit… how did I not think of that before?! But before I could try anything else, the bell rang. "Fuck." I swore under my breath, picking up my things and heading to the dining hall, dragging my feet as I went. I sat down at the table across from Nikki. "What's wrong?" She asked, seeing my saddened face. I showed her the note and the bracelet. "Why are you sad? You can finally figure out who he is! You should be jumping with joy for Merlin's sake!" Nikki exclaimed. "I know, but right when I was about to figure it out, the bell rang." I mumbled back. "Where's Rikki?" I asked suddenly, surprised there wasn't an out of term encouragement, like _"Just follow you're hormones!"_ Nikki nodded her head to the Hufflepuff table. "She's sitting with her boyfriend." She informed. I nodded knowingly. "Why don't you try it now? It's supposed to lead you to him, right?" She suggested hopefully. I looked down at the bracelet, and then brought it close to my lips. "Paper flowers." I whispered to it, just barely a breath escaping my mouth, scared to death of what might happen next.

The threads moved around and formed letters which soon formed numbers and words: _20 feet, 15 feet, 10 feet, 5 feet_… "Oi, Amber, what're you starrin' at your wrist for?" Asked a familiar voice as its owner sat next to me. _Left_. My brows came together in confusion. "'Ello…? Amber…? Is she alright Nikki?" What the bloody hell is "left" supposed to mean?! Fred's hand went for the fork next to his plate. _Your bracelet has a twin._ Holy shit! I grabbed hold of Fred's arm and yanked him up. "You, library, now!" I commanded hardly as I pulled him out of the dining hall, leaving a very confused and slightly worried Nikki and George.

"Ow! Amber, lighten the grip will ya? You don't need to tow me all the way there; I _am_ capable of following people you know." Fred complained as we made our way through the halls. I kept my hand firmly on his arm and pulled harder, ignoring his protests. We came through the library doors and he finally stopped complaining; out of consideration of the people around us I guessed. I threw him in the farthest corner I could find, and then surrounded us with piles of books so no one passing by could see us and develop a curiosity as to what was going on.

"You know, most guys don't like it when their girl is strong…" He whispered as his hands snaked around my waist from behind. "I always thought it was kind of hot." He finished, whispering in my ear and kissing below it, then nuzzling into my neck. "So… you're the one cluttering my trunk with paper flowers?" I asked, chuckling lightly and putting my hand on his. He hummed back in response, vibrating my neck as he did so. His thumbs traced circles into my sides as he grazed his nose up to my jaw line. "I understand the color choice now… your hair is orange…" I trailed off as he kissed my neck again. "… and yours is black…" He finished. "I knew you'd find me." He whispered after resting his head on my shoulder.

"Well, you did give me a few freebees in the last note…" I replied with a smirk. He chuckled softly and spun me around so I faced him. I rested my hands on his chest as his went to my hips. "I suppose you could say I was getting a little impatient with the game I had started." He replied with a smirk as he pulled me closer to him. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" I asked with a smile. "Usually yes…" He started, pulling me even closer to him as one of his hands tangled itself in my hair. "… but you've made it impossible for me to stop thinking about kissing you, love…" He finished before he closed the gap between us.

* * *

**I feel like an asshole for ending it the way I did, but I cant figure out how to end it properly! Ugh! I've been sitting on this for nearly two months now just because of the bloody ending! . Oh well... If I ever over come the little case of writers block for this story I'll update it... Nevertheless, I hope you liked it, and I would greatly appreciate it if you reviewed :3 Have a wonderful day / night / evening!~ A/N**


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